Cornell University in the United States, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Development Program, has subcontracted CSIRO to undertake the research as part of the Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat project to tackle Ug99 – a strain of the fungus, wheat stem rust.

Related Articles

World leaders in rust research – Dr Evans Lagudah and Dr Michael Ayliffe from CSIRO Plant Industry in Canberra – will undertake the CSIRO component of this research in Australia.

“Ug99 first occurred in Uganda in 1999, it’s now in Iran and closing in on Asia,” says Dr Lagudah.

“Most crops in Asia’s major wheat growing areas are vulnerable to Ug99, so if it gets to these areas food shortages and famine could result. Ug99 could also pose a bio-security threat to Australia.

“Wheat varieties worldwide, including those in Australia, rely on only a few rust-resistance genes to protect them from different strains of rust, but most of these resistance genes provide little protection against Ug99 and derived strains.”

Through the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) The University of Sydney’s Plant Breeding Institute and the International Centre for Wheat and Maize Improvement (CIMMYT), have coordinated the evaluation of Australian wheat varieties and breeding material against Ug99 in Kenya, to identify resistant and vulnerable varieties.

“The challenge is to now identify and deploy more multiple resistance gene combinations that protect wheat against Ug99 or find other ways to protect wheat from this fungus,” Dr Lagudah says.

Dr Lagudah’s research will focus on rust resistance genes that are effective against Ug99, previously sourced from ancestral wheat species, to identify DNA markers for these genes. DNA markers help wheat breeders incorporate desirable genes into new varieties quickly.

Dr Ayliffe will expand his research into why rice is immune to rust, to determine what protects it against rust and if this mechanism can be transferred to wheat to protect it against Ug99.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by CSIRO Australia. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

More From ScienceDaily

More Science & Society News

Featured Research

Mar. 31, 2015  Fewer than half of the physicians trained in the United States in 2013 received formal education or training on the subject of exercise, according to new research. "There are immense medical benefits ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  A criminologist finds that solitary confinement does not deter inmates from committing further violence in prison. The prisoners in the study who received solitary confinement were no more -- or less ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  Increasing state alcohol taxes could prevent thousands of deaths a year from car crashes, say researchers, who found alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes decreased after taxes on beer, wine and ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  Human language likely developed quite rapidly into a sophisticated system, a linguist contends. Instead of mumbles and grunts, people deployed syntax and structures resembling the ones we use today, ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  New research reveals high-quality early education is especially advantageous for children when they start younger and continue longer. Not only does more high-quality early education significantly ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  Differences in the way children and adults perceive the world extend to their sense of safety in their social and physical environments and this in turn can impact their health, say researchers. ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  Researchers have detected a human fingerprint deep in the Borneo rainforest in Southeast Asia. Cold winds blowing from the north carry industrial pollutants from East Asia to the equator, with ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  Landfills can make a profit from all their rotting waste and a new patent explains exactly how to make the most out of the stinky garbage sites. Decomposing trash produces methane, a landfill gas ... full story

Mar. 31, 2015  As the United States faces transplant waiting lists that continue to grow longer over time, there is increasing debate about the proper way to incentivize living donations. Due to organ shortages, ... full story

Mar. 30, 2015  The moon does not influence the timing of human births or hospital admissions, a new study finds, confirming what astronomers have known for decades. The study illustrates how intelligent people ... full story

Soda, Salt and Sugar: The Next Generation of Taxes

Washington Post (Mar. 30, 2015)  Denisa Livingston, a health advocate for the Dinι Community Advocacy Alliance, and the Post&apos;s Abby Phillip discuss efforts around the country to make unhealthy food choices hurt your wallet as much as your waistline.
Video provided by Washington Post

Related Stories

Feb. 5, 2015  A genetic mechanism that could stop the spread of a 'devastating' disease threatening wheat crops has been found by researchers. Septoria leaf blotch (STB) is caused by a fungus and is seen ... full story

June 27, 2013  The world's food supply got a little more plentiful thanks to a scientific breakthrough. Scientists have identified a gene that gives wheat plants resistance to one of the most deadly races of ... full story

Jan. 9, 2013  The key to giving whole wheat bread a more appetizing aroma and taste may lie in controlling the amounts of a single chemical compound that appears in the bread, which nutritionists regard as more ... full story

May 25, 2011  "Sweet wheat" has the potential for joining that summertime delight among vegetables -- sweet corn -- as a tasty and healthful part of the diet, the scientific team that developed this ... full story

ScienceDaily features breaking news and videos about the latest discoveries in health, technology, the environment, and more -- from major news services and leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.